Low power yet powerful build.

[Abula]

Hi,

Im trying to build an HTPC and download station, ideally low power consuming with very little noise, I'm not going to OC this PC, just trying to build a small yet not as slow pc as the atoms netops, what im looking is,

1) That its stable, should be on 24/7.
2) That consumes the least possible electricity.
3) To be responsive via remote connection, i dont want something that takes ages to load/start.
4) Has to run windows.
5) Fairly quiet (no need for dead silent).
6) Keep the price down (not essential).

With this in mind im almost decided into what im buying,

CPU Intel Core i3-2100T (supose to have the same idle consumption as a atom/zacate with much better performance)
MOBO Intel DH61DLB3. (for my intended purpose i dont think ill benefit from a H67 and no OC so no P67/Z68)
MEMORY Corsair XMS3 4GB 1333MHz CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 (seems cheap and have had good experiences with corsair on memory).
CASE LIAN LI PC-Q08B (expensive but love the form factor).
HDD Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 0J11563 (low consumption drive, i had very good experiences with Hitachi on my laptops).
HEATSINK Thermalright HR-02 (would like to go fanless on the cpu but its ok if ends up needing a fan).
PSU picoPSU-150-XT + 102W Adapter Power Kit (i been reading good stuff from Pico, and seems more than enough for the setup).

If you have any suggestions that could be better, pls let me know,

But before ordering i was checking the pictures of the DH61DLB3 and some reviews of the HR02, and there is cylinder near the memory that idk if its going to allow mounting the heatsink, see picture below,

Heres a picture of the heatsink mounted,

In the 3rd n 4th pics you can see that the bracket mounts slightly higher then the memory, but im not sure if its enough to avoid the black cylinder on the intel mobo. Maybe someone here knows

I have another choice, to go with another motherboard, ASUS P8H61-I (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard, now in this one i might have an issue with the placement of the 24pin on this mobo, since its higher than a normal connector with circuits on top of it,

I have heard that intels mobo are the lowest in power consumption, and i would prefer to have intel nic, this would be my choice if someone could confirm that i could mount the heatsink with the cylinder.

Thanks for any opinions, suggestions or advise,

 

[bastage]

Go with the intel board & the stock cooler. If not overclocking it should be very quiet. Plus then you dont have to use the pico PSU. With the savings of the Pico PSU & not paying for that HSF you can grab a seasonic fanless PSU. leaving only the PWM controlled fan ont he CPU & 1 case fan to cool it.

 

[Abula]

Go with the intel board & the stock cooler. If not overclocking it should be very quiet. Plus then you dont have to use the pico PSU. With the savings of the Pico PSU & not paying for that HSF you can grab a seasonic fanless PSU. leaving only the PWM controlled fan ont he CPU & 1 case fan to cool it.

Thanks for the reply and suggestion,

Do you think the Seasonic X400 is efficient on a 15-20W load? the main reason for going into Pico was they fairly efficient under small loads and that given the setup and no gpus were going to be used i dont needed that many conectors, but if the X400 is more efficent on small loads ill go that route.

 

[tonytnnt]

I like this build. It's pretty unique compared to what normally gets posted here.

Have you considered an SSD? I've found in my current system the disk drive is the most noticeable part, far more so than the fans.

As for the Pico PSU, notice that the 102W 12V power brick you included with your PicoPSU is actively cooled. That means a fan. A tiny fan. Which means noisy and winy. See page 3 of this review. (It was loud over 90W.)

The Seasonic X-400 isn't without issues either. As a PSU, it's great. Phenomenal in fact. But the downer is that it will be dumping the heat inside your case, raising your case temperature, and potentially causing the CPU fan to spin faster, something the PicoPSU avoids.

What to do, what to do... Oh, maybe get the bigger, fanless 12V power brick. Then couple it with your original 150W XT or the slightly higher rated 160W XT. (I would think either would be okay.) Spend more money, but cut out an annoying fan.

For the CPU HSF, consider this: Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000 120mm CPU Cool (review) for $35 It should easily fit in your case (which was reviewed by SPCR here. Sorry for the SPCR dominant post here, I have no affiliation, but they're my go-to place for noise-centric reviews.)

 

[beto]

Thanks for the reply and suggestion,

Do you think the Seasonic X400 is efficient on a 15-20W load? the main reason for going into Pico was they fairly efficient under small loads and that given the setup and no gpus were going to be used i dont needed that many conectors, but if the X400 is more efficent on small loads ill go that route.

I don't think there is any chance in hell the Seasonic PSU will be as efficient as the Pico PSU.

I have been looking into a similar build for similar purposes and though I like the i3 2100T for it's power consumption and CPU performance, it does have the weaker 2000 IGPU from Intel. But then, compared to Zacate now and what Llano is supposedly going to have, ANY IGPU from Intel is crap. And that is what keeps me waiting for Llano. If you aren't in a hurry and can wait to early July, it might be worth it in the long run. Remember, we are in a new situation here where upgrading means a whole new "APU" (CPU/IGP on one chip) as opposed to perhaps a new mobo with better onboard graphics. Buying the i3 means you are stuck with that video performance going forward unless you then want to add a discrete vid card at some point.

Just something to think about...

Also, I know that the Lian Li's are nice, fashionable cases, and if that is really important to you then I completely understand but there are cases out there like the Morex T3500 (and here) that aren't too terribly ugly (eye of the beholder I know) and also come with their own power supply.

 

[bastage]

wait.. is there a real GPU going into this build? if so then the PICO is garbage & a Big shuriken wont fit.. if not then the Pico would do well, but why such a large case? how Many HDD's are you trying to fit.

 

[Abula]

Thanks for your replies, advise and opinions, really appreciate your time,

Have you considered an SSD? I've found in my current system the disk drive is the most noticeable part, far more so than the fans.

I own 2 ssd atm in my desktop and laptop, been super happy with both, the thing is here that its going to be downloading most of the time, so im not looking to wear down an ssd, i though about having a small ssd Samsung 470 64gb and the Hitachi 5K750 for downloading drive, but at the end im just adding more consumption, this is not to say i might not do it down the road, but atm, im trying to keep the power down as much as possible.

As for the Pico PSU, notice that the 102W 12V power brick you included with your PicoPSU is actively cooled. That means a fan. A tiny fan. Which means noisy and winy. See page 3 of this review. (It was loud over 90W.)

Good point, i did saw the holes but didnt know it had a fan inside, so this brick is out.

The Seasonic X-400 isn't without issues either. As a PSU, it's great. Phenomenal in fact. But the downer is that it will be dumping the heat inside your case, raising your case temperature, and potentially causing the CPU fan to spin faster, something the PicoPSU avoids.

Sounds fair so the X400 is out.

For the CPU HSF, consider this: Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000 120mm CPU Cool (review) for $35 It should easily fit in your case (which was reviewed by SPCR here. Sorry for the SPCR dominant post here, I have no affiliation, but they're my go-to place for noise-centric reviews.)

The HR-02 even though its my favorite as i wanted to try to go fanless, im almost sure it wont fit, the top bracket goes all around probably even touching the mobo pin connectors, etc, The Surikan seems nice seems to have similar mounting bracket, so but ill research more on it. The only one that seems fine is THERMALRIGHT AXP-140-RT, mostly out of having a very similar mounting system than intels (the spyder legs ), but recently i saw a thread MINI ITX H67 SILENT GAMING SYSTEM, where you can see he is using the same mounting bracket as HR-02, that probably wont fit, i just wrote to thermalright and posted in his thread to see if he bought the bracket or maybe its a revision and it comes with the same bracket now that will throw away this heatsink also.

What to do, what to do... Oh, maybe get the bigger, fanless 12V power brick. Then couple it with your original 150W XT or the slightly higher rated 160W XT. (I would think either would be okay.) Spend more money, but cut out an annoying fan.

The 160XT seems in backorder, but cerntainly will consider it if its in stock when i buy it.

Now my according to the reviews, MissingRemote Intel Core i3-2100T and DH67CF Mini-ITX and Xbitlabs Every Watt Counts: AMD E-350 vs. Intel Core i3-2100T, the consumption of very similar setup is between 10-15w at idle (dling its going to be at idle most of the time) and 43-50W at load (i doubt ill stress it that much with unziping), so i was thinking i might get by with lower brick like picoPSU-150-XT + 80W Adapter Power Kit, its not about the money, if you think its better and more power efficent to go with PICOPSU-160-XT + 150w AC-DC Power Adapter, 12v 12.5A then ill go this route.

wait.. is there a real GPU going into this build?.

Nope, no dedicated GPUs at all beside Intel HD Graphics 2000 that comes build in the CPU.

but why such a large case?

well because i really liked it, but also its wide enough to fit a monstear heatsink like the Thermaright HR-02, now that its out of the picture, i might reconsider on the case, but still i like it .

how Many HDD's are you trying to fit.

1 for the initial build, maybe 2 if i end up buying an ssd for it, both will be low powered 2.5 laptop drives. I have an atom 510 server with 8tb storage, so im not planing on making to increase the storage of this new PC, i will increase the server at some point, maybe make a new build for it in a year or two, but for now its fine.

I have been looking into a similar build for similar purposes and though I like the i3 2100T for it's power consumption and CPU performance, it does have the weaker 2000 IGPU from Intel. But then, compared to Zacate now and what Llano is supposedly going to have, ANY IGPU from Intel is crap. And that is what keeps me waiting for Llano. If you aren't in a hurry and can wait to early July, it might be worth it in the long run. Remember, we are in a new situation here where upgrading means a whole new "APU" (CPU/IGP on one chip) as opposed to perhaps a new mobo with better onboard graphics. Buying the i3 means you are stuck with that video performance going forward unless you then want to add a discrete vid card at some point.

Appreciate the headsup, im in no hurry, but i do want to buy as soon as i everything is sorted out. This is going to be 95% of time downloading station, atm im using an intel atom 510, but remotely is really a pain to use, slow and when its going a lot of things it freezes, so the main reason for better cpu and memory while still having the same power consumption, the key here is still going to be this, and i think AMD already released their low powered solution with zacate, which the i3 2100T is much faster for my main intended purpose, i dont think Llano will have a better performance cpu with lower power consumption than i3 2100T.

Also, I know that the Lian Li's are nice, fashionable cases, and if that is really important to you then I completely understand but there are cases out there like the Morex T3500 (and here) that aren't too terribly ugly (eye of the beholder I know) and also come with their own power supply.

Thanks for the link didnt know this brand existed, seems to have a lot of options, i drop picos M350 of the list out of how the place the hdd and with Intel ITX CPU placement will not allow to use either of the brackets. With the HR-02 out, i might consider again a smaller case, and all this Morex seem to be ITX cases, so ill start checking them out. Btw just wondering if you know if this PSU are comparable to highly regarded Picos, i mean in efficiency and reliability.

Thanks again for your posts, really been helpful so far,

 

[beto]

so the main reason for better cpu and memory while still having the same power consumption, the key here is still going to be this, and i think AMD already released their low powered solution with zacate, which the i3 2100T is much faster for my main intended purpose, i dont think Llano will have a better performance cpu with lower power consumption than i3 2100T.

That may indeed be true about Llano. Well, I think it will probably be literally true for the lower end Llano chips in terms of CPU performance as AMD has yet to truly be competitive in that regard. However, I do think they will be close enough to warrant buying them over Intel because of the IGP.

This discussion has actually caused me to wonder something else - I have been waiting on Llano because it will undoubtedly have the better IGP but I am not even sure, now that I think about it, if I will be able to get my hands on the truly lower powered versions of Llano for a desktop/nettop HTPC usage. Those might be slated for Laptops only and that would be unfortunate. In reality Zacate is no competition for the i3 2100T. It really should be compared with the Atom but if AMD only allows their lower powered Llano chips to be used in laptops then I am going to be screwed for waiting.

I guess part of me is just too irritated with Intel for the games they play. Putting their weakest IGP with the obvious choice of CPU for an HTPC is just ridiculous. The least they could do is pull their heads from their asses and combine their best IGP with the i3 2100T for those customers who want to build HTPCs. And then they release chips like the 35W i5 2390T that are perhaps more attractive but that only OEM partners have access too.

i might consider again a smaller case, and all this Morex seem to be ITX cases, so ill start checking them out. Btw just wondering if you know if this PSU are comparable to highly regarded Picos, i mean in efficiency and reliability.

I can't answer that for you. I assume the DC power kits that come with the Morex and other such brands are serviceable but I have not owned one (though I am planning on buying that case w/power supply, unless I find something better) so I cannot say for sure. Another [H] forum member built an HTPC awhile back using the T3500. Here is his build thread and perhaps you could PM him and ask him what he thinks of the supplied PSU/power brick.

 

[bastage]

ok So this is basically a seedbox. How about a Lian Li PC q-07 (much cheaper & smaller then the q08). Look for a full size PSU with a quiet fan. & Use the Scythe big shuriken, but flip the fan. Reason PSU needs a fan is because thats your exhaust in this case. I Ran this basic setup with a i3-530 & the stock intel cooler & it was basically silent & Had no heat issues. I Would have ran the big shuriken, except I was using a 5750 video card in it so there was no room. Has room for 1x 3.5" hdd & a ssd mounted to the botom in its stock form. sounds like it would do everything you need it to at about half the size of the q08

 

[tonytnnt]

I could be wrong but I thought I saw the Big Shuriken used the stock Intel mounting holes with no backside bracket. The complaint I saw was that it's very hard to attach to the motherboard, and almost impossible to do once the motherboard is inside the case.

If you were to want a dedicated graphics card, Asus has a fanless Radeon 5450 that's pretty good. But then you should look at the Seasonic x400 or maybe (big
maybe) one of the 200W Pico products. I'm not at my computer right now (phone) so you'll have to do the power consumption legwork (techpowerup is where I usually go for GPU power consumption.)

That said, while I think it's dumb to have the Intel 3000 and 2000 issue (and why put the 3000 on the K series?!) the 2000 graphics are fine for the light duty work he's looking at. Anandtech reviewed the 2000 graphics in their main Sandy Bridge review if you'd like to see some numbers.

 

[bastage]

I could be wrong but I thought I saw the Big Shuriken used the stock Intel mounting holes with no backside bracket. The complaint I saw was that it's very hard to attach to the motherboard, and almost impossible to do once the motherboard is inside the case.

If you were to want a dedicated graphics card, Asus has a fanless Radeon 5450 that's pretty good. But then you should look at the Seasonic x400 or maybe (big
maybe) one of the 200W Pico products. I'm not at my computer right now (phone) so you'll have to do the power consumption legwork (techpowerup is where I usually go for GPU power consumption.)

That said, while I think it's dumb to have the Intel 3000 and 2000 issue (and why put the 3000 on the K series?!) the 2000 graphics are fine for the light duty work he's looking at. Anandtech reviewed the 2000 graphics in their main Sandy Bridge review if you'd like to see some numbers.

No the issue with the big shuriken with a video card is on the mITX boards the HS more then covers the entire PCIe slot so you cannot install a video card or any other card for that matter. The CPU socket is too low on the board.

 

[tonytnnt]

No the issue with the big shuriken with a video card is on the mITX boards the HS more then covers the entire PCIe slot so you cannot install a video card or any other card for that matter. The CPU socket is too low on the board.

Ah, didn't think about that. Good to know.

 

[djkest]

Cool topic, OP.

SSDs are cool, but a notebook hard drive will in fact (as you have guessed) use less power. SSDs are surprisingly hungry for Watts.

Also- go with your gut and stick with the Pico PSU. The Seasonic fanless power supplies are overpriced and overkill for this build.

 

[Abula]

Thanks to all for participating on the thread,

I wrote asking what mounting bracket does the APX140 comes now, since i saw MINI ITX H67 SILENT GAMING SYSTEM and there you can see its using a different bracket than the one in thermalright and all sellers webstie (im guessing its a revision), but that bracket might not allow to be mounted due to the caps and pin connectores near the cpu (see first post for the picture), they just answered back,

Thank for your mail, I think both of our solutions can fit properly.
All our coolers have a clearance for 48mm high below the last fin,

Please note, the AXP-140 use its designated bracket system, but actually, all our brackets are exchangeable.

Not that helpful but the last part is kinda giving me hopes. I might be able to go back on the HR02 and hopefully fanless and the lian li case . Here is the bracket,

Thermalright LGA1156 Bolt-Thru-Kit for AXP-140 Bolt-thru Board Mounting kit

The way the "spider/crab legs" are placed will fit fine as the capacitors and mobo connections are not in the way (at least i think), Im just going to write again to thermalright to cross check that the bracket in fact work with the HR02.

ok So this is basically a seedbox. How about a Lian Li PC q-07 (much cheaper & smaller then the q08). Look for a full size PSU with a quiet fan. & Use the Scythe big shuriken, but flip the fan. Reason PSU needs a fan is because thats your exhaust in this case. I Ran this basic setup with a i3-530 & the stock intel cooler & it was basically silent & Had no heat issues. I Would have ran the big shuriken, except I was using a 5750 video card in it so there was no room. Has room for 1x 3.5" hdd & a ssd mounted to the botom in its stock form. sounds like it would do everything you need it to at about half the size of the q08

I was reading that normal ATX PSU become really ineficient under very low loads, like the build im doing, for example the Seasonic X400 has around 90% efficiency passing 150W, but below 100W it drops down 77, idk how much it will drop around 15W, but here seems where Pico shine (although Dependant on the brick), under small loads 20-40W still have above 80% efficiency, in some cases close to 90%. The Q08 is tempting, but i dont think you can fit the HR02 on it, so ill wait for thermalright answer, i really want to try that heatsink, its the same with pico psu i really want to test them for a long time, so this two items are more personal curiosity.

That said, while I think it's dumb to have the Intel 3000 and 2000 issue (and why put the 3000 on the K series?!) the 2000 graphics are fine for the light duty work he's looking at. Anandtech reviewed the 2000 graphics in their main Sandy Bridge review if you'd like to see some numbers

Yea good observation, i agree intel should let the 3000 on the T series since its more likely to be used on HTPC, that said, im not sure, but i remember its just higher clocked?

Again i appreciate all your comments, suggestion and opinions,

 

[Dangman]

But then you should look at the Seasonic x400 or maybe (big
maybe) one of the 200W Pico products.

Unforunately the 200W Pico PSU is of pretty low quality:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=207

OP, I highly recommend that you read the above review as it shows that PICO PSUs aren't entirely that efficient by themselves. The choice of power adapter make a huge difference to the actual reliability, stability, and efficiency of the PICO.

 

[jeremyshaw]

the 3000 series IGP are clocked higher and.... have twice the amount of shaders (well, "execution units")

This reminds me of my early mITX projects I like it!! Morex is a decent taiwanese company. Hard to find their products outside of mini-itx.com, lol. Well, also eBAY

EDIT: also, the X 400 is ~70% efficient at 20W load. I'd personaly go for the X400, as the front intake fan of the case would be exhausting nearly all the ehat of the alreadly insanely efficient PSU (70% at 20W is 8W wasted... 8W can be easily passively dissapted, lol).

 

[Abula]

Thanks for participating on this thread,

Unforunately the 200W Pico PSU is of pretty low quality:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=207

OP, I highly recommend that you read the above review as it shows that PICO PSUs aren't entirely that efficient by themselves. The choice of power adapter make a huge difference to the actual reliability, stability, and efficiency of the PICO.

I read it like a week ago, JonnyGuru and [H]ardOCP are my sources for reviews for PSU, and when i see a 10 from jonny or Oklahoma really means something (at least to me), what interested me was from his conclusions,

Now let's see how the PicoPSU 120-WI-25 works with 19V input using the FSP power brick:

Efficiency: Efficiency is consistently over 80% thanks to the fact that the FSP power brick has fantastic efficiency to begin with. There's still quite a bit of power loss here, so I can't still give it a 10. Score here is only going to be 9.5.

Voltage regulation: The +12V only dropped .3%. +5V only dropped 1.2%. Fantastic and worth a score of 10.

Ripple suppression: Once again, there's no ripple on the +3.3V and +5V, but also the +12V is cleaned up significantly. Score here is a 10.

Efficiency 9.5
Regulation 10
Ripple 10
Total Score 10

Wow! Two jonnyGURU Recommended's in one day! Once again, the FSP power brick shows that it's the best power brick... and I like what the PicoPSU 120-WI-25 can do with it.

I crazy rushed into looking the exact things to see if i could buy it, and found,
pico-PSU-120WI-25V $55
Fujitus FSP120-AAB Power Supply Charger AC Adapter 19v 6.3a $25 (not 100% sure if its the same one, but seems like it).

Unfortunatly he didnt tested the 150XT nor the 160XTs, not sure if they are better compared to something like,
Premium picoPSU-150-XT/12.5A 150W AC-DC $83

Couple of things that i dont understand (my knowledge is limited on PSU),

1) the JonnyGuru combo uses a 19V brick with a PSU that i asume regulates or converts also to 12v, 5v and 3.3, while the 150XT depends on the bricks 12V i think, only converts 5v n 3.3v. Would either work fine with my setup? what do you guys think its better?

2) The JonnyGuru combo Pico 120wi25 also is a 20pin and doesnt come with 4pin for the cpu, while the 150xt comes with a 24pin and the cpu 4pin. In this kinda situations i chose the dumb easy way, if it has 24 pin search for 24pin, if the board has 4pin then search for psu with 4pin. Im not sure if i can run with a 20pin and no 4pin, or if it would be better.

the 3000 series IGP are clocked higher and.... have twice the amount of shaders (well, "execution units")

This reminds me of my early mITX projects I like it!! Morex is a decent taiwanese company. Hard to find their products outside of mini-itx.com, lol. Well, also eBAY

EDIT: also, the X 400 is ~70% efficient at 20W load. I'd personaly go for the X400, as the front intake fan of the case would be exhausting nearly all the ehat of the alreadly insanely efficient PSU (70% at 20W is 8W wasted... 8W can be easily passively dissapted, lol).

your making me consider the x400 again, ill guess ill wait for thermalright to respond about the bracket with hr02.

 

[jeremyshaw]

the little cylinder is a speaker... you can desolder that if you don't like it. It beeps whenever you boot, lol. That's about it, unless if you hit a serious operational flaw.

 

[Abula]

the little cylinder is a speaker... you can desolder that if you don't like it. It beeps whenever you boot, lol. That's about it, unless if you hit a serious operational flaw.

Thanks for the info, i was checking on intel pdf manuals and its speaker so i think i might just go with hr02, thermalight representative is crosschecking i send him some pics but his initial impression is that it will fit.


Btw i been revising some stuff about the build, need some opinions,

1) PSU (going with the 150w AC-DC Power Adapter, 12v 12.5A brick)
You guys think i should go with PICOPSU-150-XT or PICOPSU-160-XT, not in stock atm but i could wait, i dont think makes much of a difference but the 160xt has jap caps .

2) HDD
Hitachi 5k750 5400rpm 750GB or WD Scorpio Black 750GB 7200rpm , i was initally set on 5400rpm drive, but the consumption is similar, then again performance is similar also, stll favors slightly each to it own side, but very small differences.

3) Memory
I was checking some low voltage, but idk in suck low load will make a difference, Kingston Technology HyperX LoVo 4 GB Kit (2x2GB Modules) 1333 1.25V and Corsair XMS3 4 GB 1333MHz PC3-10666 1.5V, the intel mobo can go to 1.2V, not sure still if it will run stable at 1.25 like advertised by Kingston or even if it would make a difference in consumption.

 

[investinwaffles]

Hey, incase you were still looking for a case I built a Lian Li Q11 w/ a Pico 150w and crammed a Noctua NH-D14 heatsink in there and It fits just fine (probably .25" of clearance)

Pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0093Medium.jpg?t=1304007913
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0091Medium.jpg?t=1304008336

The HR-02 looks very similar in dimensions but I dont have time to research it now (at work). In any case, I have an i3-550 + the D14 running with only the front case intake fan blowing into it and the temps max out at 55*C and idle around 32-35*C. I am running a 120mm noctua fan which is actually pretty loud for my tastes and you could get away with something silent but still maintain reasonable temps.


Also, going with a Pico psu completely opened up the case and there is actually quite a bit of room in there. You could easily fit 4 x 2.5" drives, or 2x3.5" and 2x 2.5" hdds with the included HDD tray.

 

[Mousemagician]

Hey, incase you were still looking for a case I built a Lian Li Q11 w/ a Pico 150w and crammed a Noctua NH-D14 heatsink in there and It fits just fine (probably .25" of clearance)

Pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0093Medium.jpg?t=1304007913
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0091Medium.jpg?t=1304008336

The HR-02 looks very similar in dimensions but I dont have time to research it now (at work). In any case, I have an i3-550 + the D14 running with only the front case intake fan blowing into it and the temps max out at 55*C and idle around 32-35*C. I am running a 120mm noctua fan which is actually pretty loud for my tastes and you could get away with something silent but still maintain reasonable temps.


Also, going with a Pico psu completely opened up the case and there is actually quite a bit of room in there. You could easily fit 4 x 2.5" drives, or 2x3.5" and 2x 2.5" hdds with the included HDD tray.

investinwaffles, this is what I can define insane... wonderfully insane!
I like it a lot!

 

[tonytnnt]

Pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0093Medium.jpg?t=1304007913
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0091Medium.jpg?t=1304008336

That poor motherboard having to carry that great big heatsink!

 

[investinwaffles]

No worries there, its a Gigabyte H55-N and I hate Gigabyte

Had an X48-DS4 that I hated (never worked w/ my 1066ddr3, couldn't get my q6600 past 3.0ghz, and died on me). First two H55-N boards I got had problems, and the one I have now wont work with my x25-m in the first SATA slot but that's not a huge issue.

anyway, the heatsink is only marginally heavier than my 4890 so I figure its not too huge a deal

 

[phide]

Might be the wrong crowd here, but wouldn't it be simpler to grab a Mac mini and load Windows on it? You lose a bit of efficiency with Windows compared to OS X, but you still get a machine that's going to idle under 20 watts and loads around 35-40 (or less) and fairly decent performance with the C2D.

 

[fwkitziger]

I am looking at a similar build and decided to wait for the i3-2105, release data May 22. Same specs as i3-2100 except HD3000 instead of HD2000. This SKU seems to be directly aimed at the HTPC disconnect in the current SB lineup. Also I got away from Pico PSU's a while ago due to crappy 12v performance and the lack of good review data on 12v bricks. Bad 12v supply will impact the performance/life of the critical components, so my last build was with the Winmate from Electrodacus (see ebay to purchase and read reviews comparing Winmate to pico psu at silentpcreview.com http://www.silentpcreview.com/Winmate_DD-24AX). I use a Liteon 19v brick...LiteON PA-1151-03MS 150 Watt 19V 7.9A AC Adaptor 4 Pin Connector...and you can use 2 Winmates for twice the power using a 300W brick.

The i3-2105 has a higher TDP but idles the same as 2100T....and with the HSF's you are considering, should be no problem to spend the premium on graphics instead of TDP....T versions are getting discredited for all but small embedded systems.

 

[Abula]

Also I got away from Pico PSU's a while ago due to crappy 12v performance and the lack of good review data on 12v bricks. Bad 12v supply will impact the performance/life of the critical components, so my last build was with the Winmate from Electrodacus (see ebay to purchase and read reviews comparing Winmate to pico psu at silentpcreview.com http://www.silentpcreview.com/Winmate_DD-24AX). I use a Liteon 19v brick...LiteON PA-1151-03MS 150 Watt 19V 7.9A AC Adaptor 4 Pin Connector...and you can use 2 Winmates for twice the power using a 300W brick.

Really appriciate the info about the pico and the Winmates, really interesting stuff. TBH the pico is on the way, i chose as high as i could for the powerbrick, the 102W had a fan inside so avoiding that, and didnt want to go lower just in case someday i load it something demanding, i went with Premium picoPSU-150-XT/12.5A 150W AC-DC $83, i read yesterday some incomtabilities with Gigabyte boards, but fine with Asus..... so idk how it really going to turn out, according to Intel Core i3-2100T and DH67CF Mini-ITX Motherboard, mine is a H61 intel board so im not sure how its going to end up, crossing fingers everything goes good, but you never know. If for some reason i cant get it running or isnt as efficient as that review, ill try the Winmates, atm everything is on the way to me, i cant change anything, so will see, thanks though, at least i have another alternative if things dont work out. One thing that was interesting was the JonnyGuru review, also uses the FPS 120AAB, with the 120WI, and has incredible results, i didnt go this way mostly out of the board having 4pin cpu and 24pin for the mobo, so the 150XT seems like all the connections i need, but thats another alternative i might try in the future depending on how everything runs.

The i3-2105 has a higher TDP but idles the same as 2100T....and with the HSF's you are considering, should be no problem to spend the premium on graphics instead of TDP....T versions are getting discredited for all but small embedded systems.

Interesting the 2105T, probably in my case the 2100T is enough, but i can see the 2105T being prefered for pure HTPC, in my case its more important the low consumption than capable gpu, but if the consuptions is even on idle then seems great. Intel also has another alternative with the Intel® Core™ i5-2500T Processor with 45TDP but with lower base clocks (but with turbo) so might end up even more efficient cpu, not sure if it comes with Intel HD Graphics 3000

 

[fwkitziger]

That's a great build with really low heat generation and plenty of silent airflow. Here's an idea to consider once you see how everything fits....I did this in a Silverstone Grandia case for a PC juke box that also has a 250 watt Class D amp inside.

I dont think you'll have any problem dissipating heat, so see if you can mount the brick inside the case where the ATX PSU would be located normally (I used 2 tie wraps). Take an old ATX PSU (I bet you have a few laying around), gut it except for the IEC power connector, the switch and the fuse/filter and leave the ground wire connected....all these components are mounted on the PSU rear panel. Hack saw the rear panel off the PSU case, leaving about an inch of the top panel to leave room for an optional terminal block. Shorten the AC wire for the brick and attach to the ATX PSU switch/fuse. I went to a terminal block first because I was splitting the AC power for the amp PSU. Mount the ATX rear panel just as you normally would and use a typical PC power cord. Now you have a tight package and no externals. I'm not sure if this is possible in the Q08, but I had plenty room in the Grandia even with the amp and amp psu.

 

[b14z3]

interested in seeing how this pans out, was looking to do something like this a while back and never got around to it

 

[wonSR4]

Also interested in seeing how the build looks!

Hey, incase you were still looking for a case I built a Lian Li Q11 w/ a Pico 150w and crammed a Noctua NH-D14 heatsink in there and It fits just fine (probably .25" of clearance)

Pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0093Medium.jpg?t=1304007913
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/reddyuda/IMAG0091Medium.jpg?t=1304008336

The HR-02 looks very similar in dimensions but I dont have time to research it now (at work). In any case, I have an i3-550 + the D14 running with only the front case intake fan blowing into it and the temps max out at 55*C and idle around 32-35*C. I am running a 120mm noctua fan which is actually pretty loud for my tastes and you could get away with something silent but still maintain reasonable temps.


Also, going with a Pico psu completely opened up the case and there is actually quite a bit of room in there. You could easily fit 4 x 2.5" drives, or 2x3.5" and 2x 2.5" hdds with the included HDD tray.

And holy crap haha, makes me want to change my brother's build again!

 

[Abula]

All the parts arrived and i got it running,

CPU Intel Sandy Bridge Core I3-2100T Processor
Mobo: Intel H61 Mini ITX BOXDH61DLB3
Memo: Kingston Technology HyperX LoVo 4 GB Kit 1333 1.25V
HDD: Hitachi Travelstar 2.5-Inch 750 GB 5400RPM SATA II 8 MB Cache Internal Hard Drive 0J11563
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-02 + Thermalright TR TY-140 140mm x 160mm PWM Fan
PSU: Premium picoPSU-150-XT/12.5A 150W AC-DC
Case: LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Mini-ITX
CASE FAN (top back) Scythe Kama Flex 120mm x 25mm PWM Fan w/ S-Fluid Dynamic Bearings (SA1225FDB12H-P)
CASE FAN (front bottom) Scythe KAMA-FLEX 135mm x 25mm Fan - 800 RPM w/ S-FDB Bearing (140mm Mount) (SA1325FDB12L).

Swaped the case fans and mounted them with rubber grommets/screws,



The first issue i had, was with the HR02 mounting bracket, not with the speaker but with the 4pin PWM connector, if you mount the heatsink you wont be able to insert the 4pin, so i had to insert it first then install the bracket, a little of a pain having to move with the fan, but it worked fine at the end.



Here is the HR02 mounted to the mobo,



Here is already mounted to the case,



Intial tests after finishing the assembly, idle and load (prime95),



And their respective consumptions,



Semi finished setup, trying to do some cable management, but its very limited what a small case like Q08 allows,



Some pics of the case closed (the PSU cover is still on route),



Now here is the real consumption (nothing connected except the power brick and the ethernet cable), which is how its going to be end up.